Iran-US: the meaning of Mutual Respect
Apr 3, 2009
Bahman Aghai Diba, PhD International Law – Persian Journal
Iranian.ws
President Obama said in his message to the Iranian people and rulers on the occasion of Nowruz: “My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties among the United States, Iran and the international community. This process will not be advanced by threats. We seek instead engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect.” (1)
At the same time, when the Iranian president said we are ready to talk to the US on the basis of “mutual respect and justice”, he meant the same things that he has said couple of days ago he had said on the conditions for talking to the US and it was not considered as a new posture towards the negotiations of Iran and the USA.
President Obama has said earlier, “in the coming months he will be looking for ways to open direct talks with Iran geared towards developing a relationship of mutual respect”. (2)
Almost the same day Iran’s President, Ahmadinejad, said the country is ready for dialogue under just climate and “mutual respect”. (3)
So, are they talking about the same thing?
…Farideh Farhi: From the Iranian point of view, I think the parliament’s speaker, Ali Larijani, speaking in Munich, used the language that the United States should stop boxing with us and start playing chess with us. And I think in terms of the dynamics of the current situation -the current talks – Iran is essentially beyond the general ideas about the United States accepting the Iranian Revolution and so on and is focused on the nature of the conversation.
Here is the full article.
The 2 countries should have a chess match then.
I don’t think the boxing/chess analogy is accurate. The U.S. is already engaging in, ok, playing chess (strategic calculation aimed at defeating an opponent) with Iran. Boxing would imply physical war, while the war is clearly one of ideologies and socio-political and economic policy; an intellectual one. The idea of working together in order to reach a common goal is what everyone on either side would like to say they are doing. The fact of the matter is the U.S. and Iran do not have a common goal.
I’m for boxing. I hate drawish conflicts.